Political leaders from across the spectrum in Britain joined forces last night to welcome the defeat of Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, congratulated Jacques Chirac on the result, saying it was "a victory for all who stand against extremism. The politics of Le Pen are repellent and the French people have rightly and decisively rejected what he stands for".

Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, described Mr Le Pen's success in the first round as a reminder of the dangers of voter apathy. "This is a victory for common sense and a reminder to all of us that democracy should be taken seriously," he said. "Apathy allows extremists to flourish."

His remarks were echoed by Michael Ancram, the shadow foreign secretary, who said the disenchantment of French voters with the political elite held a lesson for British politicians: "This phenomenon is certainly not exclusive to France and we must all learn from it.

"Fortunately in France tonight the danger has, for the time being, been forestalled ... But the warning signal has been raised. We must all fight to ensure that the politics of extremism are never able to succeed again."

European governments took a collective sigh of relief as Mr Le Pen's defeat became apparent. Romano Prodi, the president of the European commission, was one of the first to welcome the result and said he was satisfied that Mr Le Pen's "extremist and isolationist politics had been rejected and crushed by France's chastened voters".

"Europe is a union of nations and peoples and the French have demonstrated once again that their nation belongs to the heart of Europe," he said in a statement.

European Union officials did concede, however, that they could not afford to be complacent about the far right and pledged to remain vigilant. But the overwhelming consensus among EU diplomats was that Mr Le Pen's defeat meant it was back to business as usual.

"This result was at the low end of our expectations," one insider said. The European commission has been particularly alarmed by Mr Le Pen's anti-EU rhetoric and his dramatic call for France to withdraw from the EU caused consternation in Brussels.

France has been a pivotal member of the EU since the creation of the European Economic Community in 1957 and the idea that Paris might turn its back on the "European project" was unthinkable.

There was also deep concern that a strong Le Pen showing in the second and final round of the presidential election would force Mr Chirac to reflect the National Front's hostility towards the EU and that France could go on to become a member of the "awkward squad".